Director, Strategy & Growth

Key Responsibilities And Accountabilities

• Build the strategic infrastructure brand partnerships needs to scale.
  • Sponsorship valuation methodologies, sector frameworks, market intelligence, repeatable approaches the team can use across pitches, renewals, and new business.
• Develop sector views (e.g., automotive, financial services, tech, luxury) that explain how brands in each category think about sport and where the opportunities sit.
• Lead consulting mandates in sponsorship strategy, commercial model design, and brand portfolio strategy.
  • Take engagements from scoping through to delivery, drawing on the same intellectual capital used internally.
  • Win new consulting work in this space.
    • Lead proposals, develop hypotheses & investment recommendations, and contribute to business development alongside the wider consulting practice.
  • Work alongside the brand partnerships team on the most complex commercial questions, where outside-in perspective and analytical depth makes a real difference.
  • Work with the data and insights team to build proper evidence around fan engagement, reach, and brand impact.
• Contribute to broader Strategy & Growth projects when brand or sponsorship expertise is useful.

Knowledge And Experience

• 8–12 years in sports sponsorship, brand strategy, or commercial strategy.
  • Ideally a mix of advisory or consulting experience and operating experience on either the agency, brand, or rights-holder side.
• A genuine understanding of how brands think about sport.
  • You can explain why a CMO would make investment decisions.
• Experience building sponsorship valuations, activation strategies, or commercial propositions for major sports properties or brands.
• Credibility with senior commercial people.
• Breadth across multiple sports, geographies, or brand categories.
  • Deep expertise in one area is fine, but you need to be able to work across IMG's full portfolio.

Skills And Abilities

• You think about the bigger picture.
  • You can see patterns across a portfolio of deals, spot where things are underpriced, and explain why a brand should care and can benefit.
• Comfortable with numbers.
  • Sponsorship valuations, market sizing, ROI analysis.
• You can build the case, not just argue it.
• Good communicator.
  • You can write a pitch that lands, build a clean deck, and present confidently to a senior audience.
• Naturally collaborative.
  • This role only works if you build good relationships with people across IMG.
• Genuinely interested in brands and sport.
  • You follow what brands are doing, why they're doing it, and what's changing. You have views.
• Can juggle.
  • You'll be supporting live consulting work, building longer-term frameworks, and picking up ad hoc projects at the same time.
• Time at a sponsorship agency or in a brand sponsorship function.
• Understanding of media rights and how sponsorship and media strategies overlap.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
• Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
• Experience with sponsorship